Game apparatus.



R. E. SMITHER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIGATIONFILED SEPT. 5 1914.

1,128,194. Patented F8119, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l R-Easmii'hef' THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHUTG-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. n r

R. E. SMITHER. GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1914.

1,128,194. I PatentedFeb.9,19l5l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Nukklb PETERS c0.. FHOTOVLI THO WASHINQ TON. u. C.

3101mm) E. SMITHER, or SALUDA, VIRGINIA.

GAME APPARATUSI Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedFeb. 9, 1915 Application file'd September 5, '1-914. SeriaI'No. 860,437.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD SMITHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saluda, in the county of Middles'ex and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in games, and has for its principal object to provide a game which is particularly effective and beneficial 1n developing the bodies of the participants.

Another'object of the invention is to provide a game which may be played in a relatively small spacev thereby eliminating any necessity for a large tract of land and also eliminating the necessity of having an entirely level court orfield on which to play.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game using a minimum number of necessary elements thereby lessening the expense and providing an interesting as well as beneficial form of amusement.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a game which is particularly effective in developing the armand chest muscles and thereby increasing the strength of the participant.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully set forth in the following specification and in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a court or field as it would appear when laid out in accordance with the instruction for playing this game. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the stand upon which the whirls are supported. Fig. 3 is a side view in elevation of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the bat.

Referring now to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeral 1 designates the goal which comprises a stake or upright preferably five or six feet in height which is secured in the ground in any suitable manner. Surrounding this stake or goal 1 there are provided the rings 2, these rings are spaced from the upright or goal 1 at predetermined distances and are so arranged that they divide the field or court into the zones which vary in value preferably as illustrated on the drawings, by the numerals designated by the character A.

At a suitable distance from the goal 1 which may vary from ten to one hundred yards, is provided the stand which is illustrated in Fig.2. This stand comprises the base plate 3 having formed integral therewith near each terminal the upwardly extending and inwardly inclined arms 4. Formed at the upper terminal of each of these upright arms is an inclined plate 5 which is provided at its lower edge with the flange 6 which flange extends in a plane angular with relation to the longitudinal axis of the plate as at 7. This stand is preferably formed of metal but may be of any other material and is so constructed that it will remain in place. However, to in-' sure the proper positioning of the stand there are provided the apertures 8 through 3 which. stakes or pins may be driven to securely anchor the stand and prevent the same from becoming accidentally displaced.

The whirl, which is best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, is designated generally by the numeral 9, this whirl comprises the body' 10 which is tapered toward its ends and these ends are bent so that they extend substantially parallel with each other and thus form a U shaped member the bight portion of which is arranged to be engaged by the bat'which will be more fully hereinafter described. This whirl is placed on the stand in position illustrated in Fig. 2, and it will thus be seen that the bight portion thereof will bridge the space between the elevated ends of the plate 5 to enable the bat to easily engage the same and thereby drive the whirl in the desired direction.

The bat, which is used in connection with the articles hereinbefore mentioned, is designated generally by the numeral 11, as best illustrated in Fig. 5. This bat c'omprises the shank 12 which is provided at its upper end with the grip 13. This grip is preferably formed by winding the bat with leather or other suitable substance and is arranged to prevent the bat from slipping from the hands of the user. The lower end of the bat is provided with the socket 14, which is provided at its free end with the enlarged portion 15, which enlarged portion is formed so that its walls curve outwardly and provide a weighted end to assist in the use of the device.

In playing this game, the goal 1 is first set up at a desired point and the rings 2 which may be formed of Wire are then secured in place at equal distances from the goal. The stand is then placed at the de-- sired distance from the goal and one of the whirls placed thereon as illustrated in the drawings, the participant then grasps the bat at the grip portion 13 and swings the same downwardly so that when the bat has reached its lowermost swing it will engage the bight portion of the whirl and cause the same to be projected in the direc tion of the goal 1. Each of the whirls" is provided with some form of designation in order that it may be distinguished from the whirls of other participants and after the whirls have been entirely disposed of the participants then collect the same from their several positions within the rings 2 and owing to the ring within which they lie, it will be evident that the participants may determine the score or number of points to each others credit.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that such changes in the combination and arrangement of parts as may fall within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A game apparatus including a base, uprights formed near each end of the base, and a whirl mounted upon the upper ends of the uprights, said whirl bridging the space between the uprights so that it may be struck and driven in a predetermined direction.

2. A game apparatus including a base plate, uprights formed near each end of the base plate, supporting plates secured to the upper ends of the uprights in spaced rela tion, and a whirl mounted upon the supporting plates, said whirl bridging a space between the plates so that it may be struck and driven in a predetermined direction.

3. A game apparatus including a pair of spaced supports, inclined plates at the upper ends of the supports, and a whirl mounted on the supports and extending across the space therebetween to enable the user to strike the whirl and drive the same in a predetermined direction.

4. A game apparatus including a pair of spaced uprights and a whirl arranged to be supported on the uprights in an inclined position, the said whirl being arranged to be struck at a point intermediate the uprights to be driven in a predetermined direction.

5. A game apparatus including a base, uprights formed near each end of the base, the upper ends of the uprights being inclined, and a whirl mounted on the inclined ends of the uprights, said whirl bridging the space therebetween, so that it may be struck and driven in a predetermined direction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD E. SMITHER.

Witnesses A H. H. BLAGKWELL, C. H. MIFFLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

